Rio Ferdinand has picked his England squad for the upcoming European Championships.
The former United defender explained some of his decisions by insisting he would be looking to the future by “giving youth a chance”, with Gareth Southgate benefitting from something of a “free hit”.
United forward Mason Greenwood, versatile Arsenal star Bukayo Saka and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham were all included by Ferdinand.
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Right-back is one of the most keenly contested positions, with Southgate facing something of a selection headache in that role.
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out of the last squad due to a mixture of mediocre form and poor previously displays in an England shirt.
The decision was met with bemusement by many and his fine performances in recent weeks to keep his side in the hunt for Champions League qualification could well have ramped up the pressure on the England boss to include him.
Ferdinand included Alexander-Arnold and Chelsea’s Reece James as his two right-backs, while Kyle Walker – who performed so admirably under Southgate in the 2018 World Cup – was left out.
UEFA have increased the number of players that can be selected to 26 from the original 23 due to coronavirus uncertainty, allowing more possibilities, but Ferdinand has still axed the Manchester City right-back, although he admits he would have the right to be frustrated.
He said on BT Sport: “Walker I think would be the unlucky one in my squad, and he’d have really good grounds to ring me up and give me a piece of his mind.
“I like youth, I want to give youth a chance.
“I’m looking ahead as well, not just this tournament. This has been a bit of a weird lead up – I’m looking at this as almost a free hit for someone like Gareth.
“You can introduce some young players, give them experience, really expose them to what a tournament is like.”
Here’s Ferdinand’s full squad:
Goalkeepers
Jordan Pickford
Dean Henderson
Nick Pope
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Reece James
John Stones
Harry Maguire
Michael Keane
Ben Godfrey
Luke Shaw
Ben Chilwell
Midfielders
Jack Grealish
Mason Mount
Declan Rice
Jude Bellingham
Jordan Henderson
Kalvin Phillips
Phil Foden
Bukayo Saka
James Maddison
Forwards
Harry Kane
Raheem Sterling
Marcus Rashford
Jadon Sancho
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Mason Greenwood
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